In 1998 our longest standing member Olly Barrie sketched a few memories in response to a letter that I sent him regarding Brighton and Hove Albion players who played for the Crescent after Albion Captain Gary Hobson played a few games for us in the 1990s.

Hove Crescent was founded in 1903 and changed its name to Brighton and Hove Crescent in the early 1970s when we started to play at Horsdean in Brighton.

His letter is reproduced here in full as an on the spot account of the players and friends of the club all those years ago.

Dear Simon

Your letter prompted so many memories of the "good old days" that I thought that I should jot down some of them while I am in the mood. This will not be a draft to be fair copied at some future date so I fear it may become a bit rambling not to mention untidy as an 84 year olds fingers are just another victim of the ageing process.

To answer the specific questions raised in your letter, yes I remember Eric Townesend very well. He was an England schoolboy football international centre forward. He was also a very fine cricketer who probably could have become a County player if he had put his mind to it. He opened the batting for The Crescent in the late 1930's and usually score 50 and then got himself out. He was in the habit of taking a single off the last ball of every over so that when he finally got himself out his partner had only scored 2 or 3 runs. When I first joined Crescent in 1931, one of the regulars was "Tug" Wilson who was also a tricky little outside left for The Albion. The Albion's goalkeeper for a few years before the war was Charlie Thomson who I believe had been a Scottish International who had played for Celtic. His deputy was Gordon Mee who also turned out for Crescent occasionally. Strangely enough in 1941 after completing a Wireless training course with the RAF, I spent six months at a camp in Norfolk and there I met Charlie and played with him in the station side until he was dropped for a younger man. I spent a few evenings with him and he showed me his Scottish FA Cup winners medal.

The real star of the 1930's Crescent side was a rough diamond named Stan Wyatt, a fast bowler who could swing the ball and make it stand on end. He was also a regular for one or two centuries a season which he usually scored in fours or sixes. I remember one occasion when we were playing Burgess Hill St Andrews where they had their own admittedly small ground and Stan scored 100 plus in no time at all while Bill Dunford at the other end scored 3 or 4. It sounds like a fairy tale but I can vouch for it. Thinking of Stan reminds me of the time at Horsted Keynes when we were having a drink prior to the match and served by an elderly barman. He had a a very bad cold and as he was serving drinks a lengthy dewdrop descended from his nose towards the drink as he sniffed and pulled it up again. After this happened for the third or fourth time, Stan and I were hopelessly hysterical. As always at that tiny ground we had a good game and a fine afternoon. In those days the team used to travel together together in a small coach and after the game we usually adjourned to the local hostelry and had a good sing song on the way home. We had lots of Country fixtures like Lindfield, Burgess Hill, Ringmer, Nutley, Herstmonceux, Horsted Keynes, Storrington with Shoreham, Littlehampton and Sompting closer to home.

The Secretary in my early days was Ernie Grinyer a watch repairer with a business in Ship Street in Brighton. Ernie was there at the formation of the club which took place at The Belfast Arms in Belfast Street in Hove. He had a bad leg and always walked with a limp with the aid of a stick. He was a lovely man who had a great love of the game and its players and he was a great friend to the club. We had other regular supporters. There was Billy Ellis , the Umpire, a little man who was a very good and impartial umpire. Billy travelled with us everywhere. He was suceeded by Bill Homan, a painter and decorator who supplemented his income by compering local shows and doing a stand up comedian show. Occasionally he would play if we were short. A right handed batsman, he once went out to bat and solemnly took guard left handed, waited for the field to be set and then assumed his natural guard. Bill met a very nice girl one Saturday at a dance hall and told her that he worked at her local branch of Barclays Bank. The following Monday she called into to withdraw some money and met up with Bill carrying a ladder in his overalls painting the outside of the building.

Another regular was Mac Tanner our bagman. You could count on him to turn up every week with all our club kit duly cleaned and whitened. Our Committee meetings were for many years conducted at The Belfast Arms but later transfered to The Stirling Arms in Connaught Place, Hove. This was brought about as Fred Pile the son of the publican was a member of the club. Fred was a great character and a thoroughly nice man. He was 6ft 4inches tall and was a terrifying sight as a fast bowler, but unforunately his sporting career was shortened by an injury to a knee. He was a leading light in the formation of Hove Crescent Football Club. We started off as a friendly side and then got use of one of the best pitches in the town in Marine Park in Hove as my sister was secretary to the Town Clerk. Unable to get into the Brighton League, we joined the Worthing League at the lowest level and we won promotion every year until we reached the Premier League. We were also successful in winning the Worthing Benevolent Cup. They were great days and were the basis of a terrific spirit throughout both sections of the club. Fred Pile was a pilot in WW II and won a DFC before he was sadly lost in a flying accident in the Middle East.

During the war the Club kit was stored in a garage of The Stirling Arms but in spite of it not having been used for six years it was not in to bad a condition when I inspected it along with Bert Sharp and Jack Steer who were two other surviving members. For various reasons such as lost interest, advancing years, moved away, not returned, very few of the pre-war players were still available. However we approached friends, friends of friends and anyone who showed any interest and we finally decided we had the basis of a revived club. I wrote to all the local clubs and most of our old friends with others clubs and eventually got together a fixture list which enabled us to get going. I dont remember now if it was 1946 or 1947, all I do remember is that we had a poor time of it at the start. However things improved and recommendations brought in quite a few decent cricketers and we finally got together quite a useful side. One of our stalwarts of course was John Grant who lived in West Way, Hove, where I also was living at that time. We also brought in Jim Hurst and Peter Tunbridge who were also West Way residents. Ken Butcher also joined who lived around the corner in Nevill Avenue. They were all very useful players and for a time I was Club Secretary and Club Captain but I mangaged to lose the first office because I was studying for my law exams, doing a full day's work and raising a family . The second office I voluntarliy relinquished because of my embarrassment at my poor performances. Ken Butcher took over and he proved be a very capable player and captain in the early 1950's.

Olly Barry
26th June 1998

Brighton and Hove Crescent

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